Meheartseoul | ~sweet memories~: must eat

Showing posts with label must eat. Show all posts

Sunday, 29 July 2018

[Masan] - Agu-jjim at Changdong Thatched House (창동초가집).

I never eat Agu-jjim before and since we're at Masan, the birthplace of Agu-jjim, this trip would not be complete before tasting steamed monkfish!

Eonni recommended us to eat at the 창동초가집 restaurant, which is near to Tourist Information Centre, instead of Masan Agu-jjim Street near Odong-dong because later we need to go back as Eonni will help us to call a taxi to go to Jinhae.

Agu-jjim at Changdong Thatched House (창동초가집).

Add: 창원시 마산합포구 불종거리로 16, 2층. Ph: 055-247-0011/010-3594-5609.

Steamed Monkfish and Steamed Crab are signature dishes in this restaurant.

Dishes can be ordered in small (2 person), medium (3 person) or large (4 person) portion. Spiciness degree: mild taste, a bit spicy, spicy or very spicy!

Agujjim Small - ₩ 28,000 + 2 bowls of rice ₩ 2,000.

Monkfish is rich source of protein and vitamin A, making it good for the skin,

as well as having little fat and helping with digestion. The vegetables mixed

into the broth contain vitamin C, making this spicy dish very healthy.

They serve Kimchijeon for free with dongchimi and other sidedishes.

I told them that the Kimchijeon was delicious when they served us the agujjim. They offered to serve us another one, but we rejected because they served such a big portion of agujjim and we're shocked!

The staff scooped the rice from hot metal pot into our individual bowls,

and poured water to make Sungyung (Scorched Rice Tea).

Eonni told us that Agujjim is a very spicy dish, so we selected the least spicy one and still, we could taste the spicy and strong taste.

The fish itself is pretty chewy, and we bit some small and weird things as it burst with salty water. At first, we thought they're fish' eyes but couldn't be so many eyes. Therefore, we asked Eonni, and she said it's Omandi / Mideodeok (오만디 / 미더덕= sea squirt).

Overall, we loved this dish a lot, but we couldn't quite finish all the bean sprouts because we ate too much rice and kimchi jeon.

The restaurant's staff were accommodating and provided excellent service. I do recommend all of you to go there if you're in Masan to taste this authentic and delicious agu-jjim.

While dining, my hubby couldn't find his earphone and realised that he didn't take it out from the Hanbok. So, after we'd our lunch, he went back to Hanbok Cultural Experience Hall and I walked to Tourist Information Centre to wait for him.

Jeong Ok Eonni was so concerned that we went there alone, because he might lose his way. She said even locals had a hard time to go there and somemore he only went there once. So, we walked there and he really couldn't recall where to go at the end of Sang Sang Gil. Luckily, we have kind Eonni to guide us.

It's indeed a bit tricky as it's hiding at the small alley inside Burim Market. But, you will be able to find it with this Video.... So, what are you waiting for? It's Free Hanbok and you can wear it to go around Masan!

Thursday, 1 February 2018

[Pyeongchang] - Grilled Dried Pollack Fish at 황태1번지 황태회관

Judy from Elf Pension Resort helped us to call and arrange for taxi tour around Pyeongchang. This mountainous city has the average elevation of approximately 700 metres above sea level, therefore it's called 'Happy 700' which is believed to be the optimal location for human and animals to live in harmony with nature and culture.

The Alps of Korea is one of the favorite short gateaway for locals and attracted a lot of tourists especially during winter because of its pristine snow that perfect for winter sports.

Our driver was proud and happy to introduce us breathtaking mountainous scenery surrounded this beautiful city. He also showed us Yongpyong Ski Resort and Alpensia Ski Resort which will be the venues of 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

Gangneung is also another hosting town, therefore our driver told us that further down is Gangneung. I just checked it's about half and hour drive from Alpensia. You can see from the video, there were few big banners promoting Pyeongchang Olympics although it was in 2015 (yes, you read it right, I took 2 years to write this post).

We asked our taxi driver to recommend us must-eat local delicacies because we need to feed ourselves first before headed to Daegwallyeong for feeding the sheep.

He drove us to 황태1번지 황태회관 because this restaurant

is very popular to locals for delicious hwangtae dish.

For Koreans, Pollack is more than just a fish. It's believed to bring good fortune. Even until today, some people will tie dried pollack in the string and hang in the new house or newly opened business. It's also one of the key foods offered in sacrificial and ancestral rites.

This restaurant was featured in SBS, KBS and MBC TV programs
and received quite a number of awards since 1985.

Hwangtae refers to a certain variety of dried pollack which is repeatedly frozen and thawed in mountainous areas where the temperature fall below -10C for 40 to 90 days. The pollack slowly dries, freezes at night and thaws during the day. These repeated contractions and expansions turning it to yellowish Hwangtae. This reminded me of historical Korean drama "The Merchant: Gaekju (장사의 신: 객주) starring Jang Hyuk.

황태1번지 황태회관 Menu board.

The staff serving us can speak Chinese, we checked whether the the pollack is spicy and she said yes. Therefore, she recommended us cuttlefish bulgogi which they could prepare non-spicy version.

Ordered a set of Grilled Dried Alaska Pollack (황태구이) - ₩12,000 and

2 sets of Cuttlefish Bulgogi (오징오 불고기) - ₩24,000

Gangwon-do is renowned and takes pride in producing the best Pollack

(황태 = hwangtae / salt-removed Pollack) and cuttlefish in Korea.

It is cooked in a hot cauldron with special spices and condiments.

Flavorful with soft and chewy texture.

Red hoodie girl.

There are lots of way to prepare pollack, either by stir-fry, steaming, stew or for cooking soup. Dried pollack soup is one of the best food for hangover and liver detoxification.

Cafe 7Hundred is giving discount of ₩1,000 for customers

from this restaurant. On the right, 농수산물 판매장 is an

Agricultural and Marine Products Store selling

dried Pollack fish, seaweed and others.

Related Posts:

Galchijorim, must-eat speciality food in Jeju

Charcoal Grilled Dakgalbi (솣불 닭갈비)

20 Delectable Dishes in Korea

Tuesday, 31 October 2017

[Jeonju] - Traditional Liquor Museum (전주 전통술박물관)

Although makgeolli is available in Singapore, but the taste is different from freshly brewed makgeolli. It's because the exported versions have to be sterilised to stop the fermentation process. The bottled makgeolli sold here didn't have the natural carbonated fizzy which found in the latter stages of fermentation.

I like soju but my first choice or alcohol drink is makgeolli.

It's because I like the sweet flavor of makgeolli and the

alcohol content is lesser than soju, so I can drink more ;P

It's because according to the report, there are lots of anti-carcinogenic substances in the makgeolli. A bottle of makgeolli has 70-80 billion lactic-acid bacteria when a bottle contains around 700-800㎖ makgeolli. Probiotics or lactic-acid bacteria has a lot of benefit health, strengthen body immune system and help to destroy harmful germs and bacteria that cause inflammation or cancer in the intestine.

Jeonju is famous for its savoury food such as bibimbap, kongnamulgukbap and makgeolli. Yes, you read it right. Makgeolli is considered as food instead of drink in Jeonju.

Traditional Liquor Museum (전주 전통술박물관).

Traditional Liquor Museum is the place where the tradition of home-brewed liquor is alive. This unique museum has the exhibition hall, showing the process on how to make these traditional liquors.

This galery has models showing how the preparation, boiling,

distillation until it's ready for comsumption.

Comic-style of how to brew traditional wine.

Japanese Sake.

Not sure what books are those as they're in Chinese characters.

History of Soju and explanation on how to make soju.

Wow! so many types of soju from different regions.

Various types of yeast ingredients such as: millets, barley,

green beans, corn, wheat, rice,...

Makgeolli, come to me oh my makgeolli!

Wines... (Interesting article: Alcohol in Korean Life).

Noticed that a lot of street vendors selling Moju (전주 모주; 母酒).

Curious about this alcoholic drink so I googled to find out more about this drink. Moju is a local beverage from Jeonju although not as famous as Jeonju Makgeolli. It's actually means, "liquor made by the mother of the queen consort." This is according to the "Daedong Yaseung" (대동야승, 大東野乘), an unofficial collection of histories, anecdotes and essays compiled during the reign of King Injo (1595-1649). Based on the book, the mother of Inmok Daebi (1584-1632), the queen consort, made handmade liquor by reusing the rice alcoholic beverage grain from making makgeoli and sold it to local residents at a cheap price when she was exiled to Jeju Island.

Moju is made from mixing Makgeolli with a range of Oriental medicines ingredients including cinnamon, ginger, jujubes, ginseng, kudzu, roots of arrowroot, and fruit, then boiled for about 24 hours, which causes most of the alcohol to evaporate leaving about 1.5% of alcohol content. Thanks to the medicinal ingredients, it is known as a healthy drink, helping to prevent colds, especially in the winter. It goes well with any kind of ordinary Korean meal, such as hot soups and rice. These days, Moju is even used to create more varied food items, like ice cream. (Source: Korea.Net)